In 1994, for no other reason than he thought it would be cool, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Kevin Gilbert gathered a loose aggregate of musical pals under the banner of his then-dormant band Giraffe. With only two rehearsals, they went onstage at ProgFest and blew the walls down with a spot-on version of Genesis' insanely difficult "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway."

Onstage that night, after they'd pulled it off, he said to the crowd, "Thank you for letting us do that. All of us in the band, since we were about 12, were like, gosh, wouldn't you love to play 'The Lamb'?"

Indeed, there's a true rush and hearty respect when artists — not typically involved in a cover band job or even a tribute act — take it upon themselves to do a one-off recreation of a complex, classic or obscure-but-revered album. Just for the sake of it.

Drummer Jason Wallace, who owns the Strange Brew Pub, a popular live music club in Norwich, can absolutely relate. Earlier this year, he had the idea to host an "Album Tribute Night" where, each month, a one-time-only group of musical cronies would choose, rehearse and then play a note-for-note replication of an entire record. "Album Tribute Month" kicked off in July when Nick Johns & Friends pulled off a stunning version of the first Doors album.

The series continues tonight when Rickie Louise Miller & Friends tackle "Back to Black," the brilliant and emotionally resonant record by Amy Winehouse, the British contemporary soul singer who died of alcohol poisoning in 2011 after years of substance abuse problems.

Miller, an Uncasville native/Norwich resident familiar to New England audiences as the vocalist in such bands as Fever, Speakeasy, Love Fest and many others, says the experience will be a first.

"I'm obviously in cover bands, and I was in an Earth, Wind & Fire tribute act for a while. I guess that's close, but this time it's Amy Winehouse, we're doing it just this once, and I'll be the focal point. I'm a little nervous, but I love the album and it's a great band, so it's a fun challenge," she says.

It was Wallace, who played on the Doors show and will be drummer for the Winehouse performance, who actually wanted to do "Back to Black." In fact, "Back to Black" was his original inspiration for "Album Tribute Night" series.

Wallace says, "I enjoy everything to do with Winehouse's music, especially 'Back to Black' with its R&B/Motown-esque feel, which is a genre I've always loved. You could also argue that Amy's sound was at its most refined by 'Back to Black' and, tragically, it's the last thing we have from her before her passing."

At the same time, Wallace knew he wanted Miller for the project or it wouldn't work.

"Rickie has a diverse female voice, so I knew she could deliver even though an artist like Amy Winehouse is not an easy one to pull off. Luckily for me, Rickie responded immediately and with thorough enthusiasm," he says.

"It was a very flattering request," Miller says. "Jay said he wouldn't do it if I wasn't going to sing it. And of course I wanted to. I actually didn't know much about Amy's personal life, so I was intrigued on a purely musical level. I just knew that I admired her as a singer and thought the album was a treasure."

The next step was to assemble a band. Though Wallace and Miller know and can count on dozens of musicians, the fact that they're all professionals presented a scheduling problem. Because of the arrangements and personnel on the original album, an 11-piece ensemble is required to pull off the nuances for a full sound.

Joining Miller and Wallace onstage for tonight's performance are background vocalists Erienne and Sarah Anne Elizabeth, guitarists Brandt Taylor and William Scott Wallace, keyboardist Carl Bugbee, bassist Josh Welch, saxophonists Chip Fenney and Jake Weiner, trumpeter Dan Fleury and trombonist Dan Hendrix.

"Getting all 11 of us together at the same time has basically been impossible," Miller laughs. "One rehearsal was just me and Jay, where we went over the arrangements. We'll have a full band rehearsal (the night before the show) and see how it goes. A lot the musicians can read and we have charts for them, so that makes it a little easier. It's been one thing after another, but it's also been fun. And I've come to look at Amy and listen to the album in whole new ways."

On a purely musical level, Miller was astounded by Winehouse's talent.

"First of all, her phrasing is just amazing," Miller says. "The way she writes vocal phrases is almost like an instrument. It's brilliant — and, on live recordings, her phrasing is never the same. She also does some stuff in a lower register that's very difficult. A lot of contemporary music emphasizes singing in the higher range, so it's something to get used to. Fortunately, I do have some lower register, so that helps."

As for the toughest part of getting the album down, Miller instantly points to the last vocal tag of the song "Some Unholy War."

"She hits about 13 notes in two seconds and it's incredibly hard to replicate," she says. "At the same time, it's very tasteful and fits the tone of the song. It's not some vocal riff for the sake of it."

Miller also looked a bit more into Winehouse's troubled personal life and the album's lyrics suddenly took on a more poignant and sad quality.

"A lot of her songs are about being an addict, and you can tell she had an addictive personality. Sometimes there's an almost slurring quality to her delivery. It can almost sound sassy but there's also a sadness to it," she says.

"I've always loved the album, but I now do so in a very different context. It's become one of those albums where I keep giving copies to friends. I feel like they need to hear this record."

Eerily, in April, when Wallace and Miller decided to go forward with the project, they looked weeks in advance and found the only mutually open date was July 23. Only later did they realize July 23 marks the fourth anniversary of Winehouse's death.

Album Tribute Night - "Back to Black," 9 p.m. Thursday, Strange Brew Pub, 297 West Main St., Norwich; Rickie Louise Miller & Friends; free; (860) 886-7600.